Photo credit: Mark Olson
After getting bitten by the empty nest adventure bug, a few years ago my husband and I were afforded the wonderful opportunity to travel overseas to England with some dear friends of ours. It was a momentous vacation for more reasons than one, which I will go into later.
I remember the phone call I received from my husband, Mark while I was driving home from work one night. “Pack your bags! We’re going to England!” It didn’t seem real. I couldn’t really imagine it, so my reaction was much less than he expected. Mark and our good friend, Simon had come up with the idea while sitting around the fire pit discussing he and his wife, Cara’s upcoming trip to England to visit family. To clarify, Simon is from England and had recently missed his father’s birthday celebration in December due to professional obligations. Therefore, they planned to surprise his parents with a visit the following month and invited us along. On January 13th we boarded British Airways for the nine-hour flight to London, England. For us it was surreal.
We arrived in London on the 14th, and I immediately fell in love with England. The novelty of it was captivating, and I just loved listening to the dialogue spoken in crisp English accents.
Cookham Dean
Soon we were at the home of Simon’s sister, Suzanne, and their parents were genuinely surprised. His father greeted us with tears in his eyes certainly happy to see his son. Suzanne had a beautiful home in Cookham Dean on two country acres adjacent to the River Thames. It was not uncommon to see one of the Queen’s swans floating past at the foot of Suzanne’s property. Suzanne hosted us for our entire stay, and we are forever grateful for her hospitality.
Simon was a terrific tour guide and made an amazing adjustment back to driving on the left side of the road after so many years in the U.S. It was so interesting riding in the car with the steering wheel on the right – a set up I’m not sure I could master but would have loved to try. Maybe next time.
Marlow
The first stop on our personalized tour of this magnificent country was to the quaint town of Marlow in south Buckinghamshire. We visited the beautiful All Saints Church that boasted its own cemetery. The countryside was truly picturesque – a scene right out of a Jane Austen novel.
Harrow School
Our next excursion was to the campus of Suzanne’s teenage son Max, who attended Harrow School, a full-boarding school for boys aged 13 to 18. We caught the tail end of his rugby game in the midst of a good England rain, players covered in mud and spectators in their “wellies” taking shelter under their umbrellas. It was a spectacular sight set among stunning architecture. I couldn’t get enough of the impressive buildings, snapping as many photos as I could to try to capture the essence of this charming landscape. The structures looked to be straight out of a Harry Potter movie. Supposedly one of the buildings was used as a set for Hogwarts School though that has not been confirmed.
“A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that a pub is warmer, and there’s more conversation.” – William Blake
Visits to the pubs, charming little taverns, comprised a good deal of our stay in England. I absolutely loved their cozy, rustic, and welcoming interiors that nearly all included toasty fireplaces. They were a wonderful reprieve from the chilly England temperatures. One of our favorite and most memorable pubs was The Jolly Farmer in Cookham Dean. It was located in a lush country neighborhood catty corner from the cobble stone church that proudly displayed its bell. The Jolly Farmer possessed its own countryside charm with brick exterior, a double fireplace, low ceilings, and intimate seating at mix-and-match wood tables. It was a quiet afternoon in the pub that day as we feasted on an England favorite – fish and chips. We also met a friendly fellow named Tony who was a “lorry” driver. This was a most impressive livelihood as you will better understand when viewing the pictures below.
Windsor
Windsor was a lovely stop with all of its shops, more pubs (a lovely one in particular called the Horse and Groom), and of course the castle – a stately vision. How intriguing it was to view the balistraria, imagining all the history that had taken place inside those walls. In Windsor Simon’s sister found the perfect story book to accompany the stuffed Paddington Bear that we had purchased as a souvenir for our grandson. I’ll never forget her standing at the store’s edge (as I was waiting outside) displaying her find, the book that is now a treasured gem in our library, again for reasons I shall share later.
It was not a rarity to see the Queen’s swans wandering the sidewalks and waterway (namely the River Thames) as we toured the country side.
“You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” – Samuel Johnson
It took just over an hour on ” the tube” (train) to arrive in London from the Maidenhead station nearest to our home base. Anyone who has ridden a train in England is certainly familiar with the expression, “Mind the gap,” a phrase routinely announced as you exit the train to remind you to watch your footing as there is indeed a gap between the train and the walk way. After a stop at Paddington Station, it was on to Piccadilly Circus. Our eyes were aglow with all the sights and sounds of this foreign metropolis. There were the iconic red double-decker buses, the little black taxi cabs that truly favored their 1948 parallel the Austin FX3, the infamous red phone booths, the stunning architecture, the hustle and bustle, the towering London Eye as the backdrop, and of course watchful Big Ben.
A walk through St. James’s Park took us to the regal Buckingham Palace with the Queen’s Guard sporting their winter garb complete with their infamous bearskins (hats). The mounted guard were just as impressive sitting still as stone on their majestic horses.
We visited the royal church, Westminster Abbey in all its glory and finished the day with a train ride home accompanied by Simon’s niece who had flown in for the day – a luxury afforded to “trolley dollies” (flight attendants).
Tower of London
The Tower of London was the destination for our next outing to the big city. What a spectacular preservation of 12th century England royalty and military. From the arrow-slits to the battlements to the trebuchet stretching its neck outside the tower walls with the Tower Bridge in the background, the scene was both captivating and surreal.
“Halt! Who Comes There?” – Ceremony of the Keys
The most enjoyable part of our visit to the Tower of London were the Beefeaters. They were once the “guardians” of the Tower and so named because at one time they were paid part of their salary in chunks of beef. Some guardian duties are still performed today, more due to tradition than anything else but much of their responsibility includes conducting tours of the Tower. Each Beefeater (or Yeoman Warder) does their own research on the history of the landmark and develops their own manner of presentation under a mentor for three to four months. Once their “performance” is approved by the Resident Governor and the Chief Yeoman Warder, they are free to share their knowledge and personal style with the public. Ours was especially funny – a real comedian!
The thought-provoking memorial dedicated to those condemned to death (namely Ann Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey) was a humbling site.
The Crown Jewels, housed in the Waterloo Barracks, were breathtaking to behold.
The White Tower, the fortress that dominates the castle was an impressive structure . Enclosed in its walls were displays of the elaborate royal armor, including that of horses.
My last highlight, but certainly not the least, would be the Queen’s Guard and the Changing of the Guard that took place during our visit (see video below). It was so interesting to witness!
Far too much history makes up the story of the Tower of London for me to cover here. A very informative book however, Experience the Tower of London is available here at GoodReads. I love flipping through the pages of our copy that we actually purchased at the Tower. It brings back memories in vivid color and serves as a special memento of our trip to the Tower.
Our evening concluded with a water taxi ride, offering beautiful views of Big Ben and the London Eye, and another visit to a London pub.
“I love England – it’s no secret.” – Nicolas Cage
The last couple days of our stay in England included a trip to Brighton where the boys caught a Brighton Seagulls football (soccer) game. We then caught a train to Angmering just outside of the seaside town of Worthing where Simon’s parents reside. They opened their beautiful home to us where we spent the night and enjoyed a lovely but chilly morning walk along the England coast. It was so charming. Then while waiting to meet friends at a pub in Findon for lunch, we walked along the boardwalk enjoying the boats and getting to see where the river meets the sea. We returned to Cookham Dean to enjoy a delicious dinner with friends at The Brickmakers in Windlesham and after-dinner drinks at a friend’s beautiful flat in the English countryside. It was quite a bit of driving for the last two days but worth it!
From majesty to quaint countrysides, England provided all the splendor and novelty of a land far away. It was a vacation we will not soon forget. Not only will the charm and grandeur stay with us, but we will be forever grateful for the treasured moments spent with Simon and his family, especially his sister Suzanne who, on December 31, 2017 lost her battle with breast cancer. We were heartbroken and in disbelief. We feel so blessed to have known her as briefly as we did. I will NEVER forget her hospitality, generosity, strength, brilliance, and the love she had for her family….especially her beautiful boy, Max. Her sense, determination, and grace shone through in her remarkable business savvy, her loyalty to friends and family, and in her battle against the wicked beast called cancer. She is missed and will always be honored through the legacy she leaves behind.
2 Comments
I want to visit the UK. If I do go to London a must see would be 221 B Baker Street where you have Sherlock Holmes memorabilia. My family originally came from Cornwall and Doc Martin makes that part of England also enticing for a visit.
i would love to go to May Island in Scotland. It looks to be a wild place with plenty of exotic bird life. We have fish and chips on a regular basis here in Australia. Chips are cut differently from the more American french fries.
How interesting! I love Sherlock Holmes!! I will definitely have to check out Baker Street when I go next time. It is on my bucket list to reside in England for at least six months. Scotland would be lovely! I hope to visit there some day as well. On birds, my son and daughter-in-law have a cockatiel named Milo that they adore. He is a very smart little fella! Thanks again for your informative comments!